Dell wants Chrome to replace IE on new PCs

Google wants you to learn to love its new browser

Google is investigating deals to pre-install its Chrome browser on new computers in a bid to gain more acceptance for its latest project.

Such vendors are reported to include Dell, HP, Acer and Toshiba, all looking to get the program on their machines in place of Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

According to an interview in The Times with Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management at Google, the company is looking to tie up such agreements and gain more industry support for the browser.

Pre-installed

"We will probably do distribution deals," Pichai said. "We could work with an OEM and have them ship computers with Chrome pre-installed."

He also added that new versions of the browser will be coming for the likes of Linux-based machines and Macs, probably to be released in the first half of 2009, as well as seeing the PC Chrome browser move out of 'beta' version.

Such moves would inevitably help boost the browser's profile, but Chrome still has a way to go before usurping the giants of Firefox and Internet Explorer as users' favourite way to browse the massive international web of information. Or the internet.